"Damn it... damn it!"
The Blue Nitros that had been smashed into the soup pot struggled desperately, but his strength drained away faster and faster. In the end, he could not help roaring furiously, "Once I get out, I'll kill every last one of you!!!"
"Haha, you?"
Jiro held a golden ladle and could not help laughing at him.
But he had barely mocked the other man twice when he strained his overworked muscles. He immediately clutched his left shoulder in pain. "Tsk..."
"Jiro, what's wrong?"
Ichiryu, who was inspecting the ingredients in the other huge pots nearby, looked up and asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. That move just put a bit too much strain on my body."
Jiro waved it off and lowered his head to look at the pot again—or, more precisely, at the Blue Nitros ATOM soaking in the thick soup. "There's something strange about this pot and its ingredients. Just holding the ladle and stirring consumes an enormous amount of stamina..."
"Of course it does! Did you think regenerating the Earth's Full Course Menu would be that easy?"
ATOM, still struggling in the soup, roared irritably, "Let me out now, or else I—"
But he had only gotten halfway through his sentence.
ATOM suddenly froze without warning, staring blankly in a certain direction. "Ah... crap..."
"Huh?"
Jiro did not react at first. Seeing the Blue Nitros' terrified expression, he turned to follow his gaze in confusion. "What are you looking at—"
Before he could finish, a bizarre and horrifying creature was already standing before him.
That thing could barely be recognized as humanoid. Its entire body was covered in countless spherical black tumors, making it look utterly nauseating and terrifying. Its facial features were deeply sunken inward, its eye sockets dark and bottomless, with only two faint